Families with adopted children from China celebrate start of Year of the Horse

NORTH SYDNEY — Several families with adopted children from China came together Friday evening to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Horse.

It was the first day in the Chinese New Year. A separate room was set aside for the special gathering at the Canton restaurant in North Sydney.

As many as seven families who have adopted Chinese children over the years come together each year to celebrate the beginning of a new year on the Chinese lunisolar calendar.

Leonard and Arlene Leblanc of Bras d’Or adopted their daughter, Jacey, about 12 years ago after taking a trip to China.

Leonard said it was a time-consuming process full of legalities but they left the country with the bundle of joy they were hoping for.

The couple said the celebrations at the Canton restaurant is one way to ensure Jacey has a chance to play with other children of Chinese origin.

“We were celebrating it in Port Hawkesbury for a while and it was just about three years ago we started celebrating it here,” said Leonard.

“It’s just like an extended family celebration.”

The evening was all about keeping the children entertained with Chinese crafts, colouring of horses to mark the change in the Chinese zodiac and, of cours,e every kid’s favourite, eating cake.

The Chinese calendar is divided into 12 months of 29 or 30 days. It’s adjusted to the length of the solar year by the addition of extra months at regular intervals. Each successive year is named after one of 12 animals.

As 2014 is the Year of the Horse, next year it will be the Year of the Sheep.

The other animals in the zodiac calendar follow in this order: monkey, rooster, dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, and the snake.

“I like all the dragons and animals,” said six-year-old Shaelynne LeBlanc, speaking of the different decorations in her house during the Chinese New Year.

Her family, Judy and Danny LeBlanc of Big Bras d’Or, have celebrated this two-week holiday every year since Shaelynne’s adoption.

“(Shaelynne) says it’s her very favourite occasion because she lives in China. And I told her, ‘No, you don’t live in China, but you are from China,’” said her mother, Judy.

Definitely not shy, Shaelynne is proud of her heritage, Judy said.

“You celebrate (being) Chinese for two weeks. Eat dumplings and stuff,” exclaimed Shaelynne, in an excited voice that could have come from any other kid who was ready to open gifts on Christmas Day.

Judy said her daughter was so excited about the Chinese New Year that getting her to fall asleep wasn’t an easy task on Thursday night.

“She’s very proud to be Chinese and she’ll tell the world.”

During the adoption process in March 2010, Judy said it took about two weeks to finalize all of the paperwork.

“That way you can take in some of the culture and do some sightseeing, and get to know a little bit (of Chinese traditions) so you can pass it on, like what we’re doing here,” she said.

Cape Breton has small pockets of residents who identify themselves as being of Chinese heritage. The 2011 census revealed that were 180 full-time permanent residents of Chinese ancestry living in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. That represents 0.2 per cent of the population.

At Cape Breton University on Friday, the 450 Chinese students at the school were invited to a reception, which was held to mark the beginning of the new lunar year.

It included some traditional Chinese foods, entertainment, and ended with an evening of karaoke.